


Displaced Souls

by robinasnyder



Series: Rooftops [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, spoilers for Episode: s09e21 King of the Damned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 21:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1579625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinasnyder/pseuds/robinasnyder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gadreel has felt misunderstood, misrepresented, unbelonging for a long time. He doesn't expect to do more than lose himself in the city, in human souls. He doesn't expect to find a soul so badly displaced from time that he stands right out and practically shines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Displaced Souls

Gadreel can’t imagine why his own father couldn’t love Gavin McLeod. He’d thought the King of Hell must be heartless to be able to take over after Lucifer, but he never realized how much until he sat on a rooftop in Chicago with Gavin, Gavin wondering at the lit up windows, and the height of skyscrapers. 

“So, you aren’t going to get in trouble for being seen with the Prince of Hell?” Gavin asked. 

Gadreel chuckled a little and stood up from the pipe he’d been sitting on. He walked over to Gavin and stood at the waist high concrete wall at the edge of the roof and sat down there instead. 

“No, I won’t,” Gadreel assured him. 

“You’re certain?” Gavin asked. He played with the hem of his shirt, a shirt he’d stolen or something. He didn’t belong at all in 2014, but Gadreel was glad he was there. 

“There is little more that heaven can do to me,” Gadreel said. 

Gavin suddenly looked wary. “Are you a fallen angel?” 

“No… Lucifer was the only one who was cast out but…” He trailed off, not wanting to say. 

“My father sold his soul for three more inches to his willy. It can’t be so bad,” Gavin said, sitting down on the little wall too. Gadreel reached out and steadied his shoulder so he wouldn’t fall. 

“I was tricked my Lucifer,” Gadreel said. “And I was blamed for what he did. He was cast out, but I was locked up.” 

“Ouch,” Gavin said. He smiled a little. Gadreel smiled back. Gavin had been living on the streets of the city for a few weeks before Gadreel found him. He’d picked up modern speech surprisingly easy, better than Gadreel in some ways. 

“Are you certain you want to be seen with me?” Gadreel asked nervously.

“You brought me up so I could see the sky,” Gavin said, gesturing broadly to the buildings around them, all the windows and the roof tops, and when they looked up they could actually see the sky. Gadreel gripped Gavin’s shirt a little tighter so he couldn’t fall.

“Anyone could do that.” Gadreel had gone wandering, trying to decide whether he should help Castiel or Metatron. He was tired of those more powerful than him trying to deceive him. That was when he found Gavin

“No one else would, though. Down there I’m just a man with no history, no papers, nothing to show where I came from, and no money to spend .” 

“It’s safer if even your father doesn’t know where to find you,” Gadreel said. 

“He left me alone with nothing. Less than nothing. At least before I knew who I was and I had hope of sailing to the colonies and making my fortune. Now I have no hope and no future. Now I have no future. He didn’t even leave me with money. He gave me the ability to read, but everyone in this place can read, and they know a lot more than me. I have a pretty face, that’s about all I’ve been able to trade.” 

Gadreel tightened his hold on Gavin’s shirt. That was how they’d met. Gadreel had felt a soul that didn’t belong. Gadreel had stared at him until Gavin had told him how much he was worth. It angered Gadreel. Poverty. It angered him. It reminded him of being locked up. Except instead of slatted bars and jailers, it was money and everyone around you who kept you locked up. He’d seen it in the mind of his vessel and in Sam Winchester. He read it in Metatron’s books. He saw it in the streets. 

Gavin didn’t belong, and because of that he’d fallen into the cell of poverty, and had started doing what he had to in order to survive. Gadreel didn’t want to see other people be trapped. 

“You could kiss me, you know?” Gavin said. 

“What?” Gadreel asked, shaking out of his thoughts. “No, I told you that is not how I work.” 

“It’s not for pay. You don’t have any money anyway,” Gavin pointed out. 

“I will not use you. I am not like them.” The vehemence with which he said that last word. He thought of Thaddeus and the other jailers. He thought of Abner and what was done to him, and what Gadreel did to him to survive… 

Except that thinking of Abner was what made him run in the first place. Father, what if he had killed Abner for no reason at all? 

“It’s not using me if I’m asking you,” Gavin said. He moved a little closer. “Abaddon killed the man I’d cared for last.” 

“It’s only been a few weeks since then,” Gadreel said. 

“I was leaving him, we hadn’t been with each other for a while,” Gavin said, moving even closer. 

“You’re still mourning,” Gadreel insisted. 

“So are you. You get this look in your eyes when I say something about friends.” Gadreel thought of Abner instant, laying dead on the floor. “See, there you go,” Gavin said. “Aren’t you tired of being alone?” 

“Me being friends with you isn’t predicated on you giving me sex, Gavin,” Gadreel said. But he didn’t move away. He was afraid that if he moved that Gavin might fall and destroy that tender soul, wicked soul. 

“I know,” Gavin said. “You know the first time I saw these windows lit up, I asked my dad if this was heaven.” 

“Heaven is much more beautiful,” Gadreel said instantly. 

“Is it really that way, or is it just what you remember because it’s easier?”

“I… am not certain.” Gadreel felt a little shocked to admit it. He hadn’t been allowed to go back to Heaven yet. He needed to work on earth. That was what Metatron said. 

“If I ever get there, will I like it?” Gavin asked. 

“Yes, you will, that I can promise you,” Gadreel said. 

“Good.” Gavin said with a little smile. He leaned over and kissed Gadreel. Gadreel didn’t jolt back or even move. If he did that Gavin might fall. He was surprised though. He’d never been kissed. 

After a moment Gavin sat back, looking very much like the cat that got the cream. 

“Why did you do that?” Gadreel asked. 

“You’ve got your hand on my back so I won’t fall. I know that if you kiss me, it won’t be because you want something besides kisses, and that if you kiss me it will be because you want them from me. I think I’m more likely to take advantage of you, than you are of me. You’re good, Gadreel and that’s why I kissed you, because you deserve them and I want to give them.” 

“Are you certain?” Gadreel asked one more time, licking his lips with a bit of uncertainty. He didn’t know that humans really had tastes and that they lingered like that. He wanted to see if that happened again after a second kiss.

“You won’t let me fall.” Gavin barely had the words out before he had his mouth on Gadreel’s once more. It felt really good. When Gavin pulled back, Gadreel could still taste him. It still lingered and Gadreel wanted to know if it would always do that. 

“Will you teach me?” Gadreel asked. 

“Teach you what?” Gavin asked with a little smile. 

“To kiss?” Gadreel asked. He felt nervous to ask, and sounded nervous too. But it was a good nervous, not nervous like how thoughts of war made him feel. This was anticipatory. 

“No one’s ever asked me to teach them before,” Gavin said. He moved right up against Gadreel. Gadreel put his arm around him and held Gavin close and secure to his side. No strong wind would be able to catch Gavin and drag him down. He couldn’t slip. If he fell, Gadreel would take the impact instead and would be okay. Gavin wouldn’t get hurt at all. 

“Does it bother you that I asked?” Gadreel wanted to know. 

“No, I like it. We’ll start you first lesson now. Just lean over and press your lips to mine.” Gavin grinned. 

Gadreel leaned over and did as he was told. It didn’t exactly feel right, not like what it felt like when Gavin kissed him. Gadreel was too stiff about it, so he tried to move his lips. Gavin started to giggle. 

“Sorry,” Gavin said, pulling away and covering his laughter with one hand. The other clung to Gadreel’s shirt. 

“I can’t have been that bad.” Gadreel said, sounding annoyed. He felt a little giddy rush, though. Gavin had a sweet laugh, and at his question, Gavin just laughed more. 

“It was, it was that bad.” Gavin said when he could mostly stop laughing. He swooped up and kissed Gadreel again, and grinned. “But I like that. It’s like an angel should kiss, like you got no clue what you’re doing with your body. I know I’m your first kiss for sure.” 

“You are indeed,” Gadreel agreed, tightening his hold a little. 

Gavin turned a little red and bit his bottom lip. He leaned his head against Gadreel, resting his cheek on Gadreel’s shoulder. “I like you, Gadreel.” 

“I like you too,” Gadreel said. “Don’t worry anymore.” 

“With you here, why would I need to?” Gavin asked. 

Gadreel was silent for a moment. It stretched out long before them. Gadreel could feel Gavin breath. He could feel his heartbeat. He could feel every single cell working to exist and every single molecule that made up Gavin banging around, trying to keep him existing just as he was. Gadreel could scatter those pieces of him to the four winds and no one would ever know or care. But Gavin pressed right up to him and closed his eyes, completely at peace. Who else would have that faith in him? 

“Thank you,” Gadreel finally said, speaking softly with the weight of emotion. 

“MMmm,” Gavin murmured. Gadreel smiled a little. During the silence Gavin had begun drifting off to sleep. Gadreel made no move to wake him. Instead he allowed Gavin to sleep against him, while Gadreel looked up at the sky, and wondered what he’d done to deserve that moment of peace.


End file.
